The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has notified the Pasadena Police Department that the review of the February 19, 2009 fatal shooting of Leroy Barnes Jr. has been completed. The determination issued by the district attorney’s office is that the two Pasadena police officers acted lawfully in self-defense and defense of another in their use of deadly force against Barnes.
In the interest of providing the community information about this case, the Pasadena Police Department is releasing the letter that it received from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office concerning their findings. However, the names of the involved officers have been altered (“John Doe” and “James Roe”) in order to comply with a legal challenge by the Pasadena Police Officer’s Association that disallows the police department to release the identity of the officers in this investigation. Additionally, the name of the witness who was driving the car has been redacted from the letter for safety purposes.
In addition to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the Office of Independent Review (OIR) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are also conducting investigations into the death of Barnes. “Transparency is part of our organizational values. When these other investigations are completed, we will provide them to the community as well”, says Pasadena Police Chief Bernard K Melekian.
To read a copy of the letter from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office click here.
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